Flexner on Finishing

Why are you working harder than you need to?
by Bob Flexner
pages 62-63
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Sanding is boring. It’s boring to watch, it’s boring to do, and I find it boring to write about. But myths are fun to write about, and there are some big ones suggesting that sanding to a very fine-grit...

Vacuum cleaners were the basis for a major change in spray technology.
By Bob Flexner
Pages 62-63
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For almost a century the dominant spray technology was based on high-pressure compressed air. This technology produces wonderful results, but it has the downside of creating a lot of bounce back – the spray, under high...

Reformulations may compel you to adjust your finishing process.
By Bob Flexner
Pages 64-66
Many years ago a friend explained to me the difference between woodworking tools and finishes. Woodworking tools, he said, are physics. You can see them. You can see that a band saw isn’t a table saw even though it has a table.
But finishes...

Here’s a great gift idea! Save 31 percent on Flexner’s latest must-have book on finishing. Wood finishing doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing. It can be “boiled down” to simple step-by-step instructions. And that’s what this book offers; no science, no art, just easily-to-follow directions with lots of pictures to show you every...

In the November 2011 issue, Bob Flexner submitted this excerpt from his book "Wood Finishing 101," along with the article on wiping varnish. It is a useful document that you can post in your shop. To download the PDF, click on the link below.–Ajax AlexandrePWM_WipingVarnish

If you’ve never put brush to bare wood (or you’d like a refresher), learn how to greatly improve your chances of success. By Bob Flexner It’s one thing to describe finishing steps to an experienced finisher. It’s quite another to teach someone who has never applied stain or finish to anything. Describing finishing so...

Here’s how to cut through all the confusion about oil, tung oil and wiping varnish. By Bob Flexner Finishing is a mystery to most woodworkers, but it’s not because finishes are difficult to apply. All that’s involved in applying a finish is transferring a liquid to wood using one of three really easy-to-use tools:...

This traditional finish can be tricky to apply.
By Bob Flexner
Pages: 58-60
From the April 2011 issue #189
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If you have read much in the woodworking press, you’ve surely encountered many articles, including mine, in which the writer uses and recommends shellac as a finish. This may persuade you to try shellac.
I certainly...